"Good morning Rocky" - this is the reaction one Lisburn teacher has received from his pupils after he was victorious in the ring.

Ian Hanvey, a P6 teacher at Wallace Prep in Lisburn, has become a talking point in school after taking up White Collar Boxing in a bid to raise cash for Cancer Research.

Now the 30-year-old has gone from zero experience to champion in the ring after winning his fight.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Mr Hanvey said: "I was just sitting on Facebook, as you do, and scrolled through my news feed and saw the White Collar Boxing being advertised and it said it hoped to raise money for Cancer Research.

"I filled out a form and sent it off and thought I wouldn't hear anything of it again. I got a reply in the next few weeks asking for medical details.

"Then there was the realisation, 'What have I just got myself into? I am going to have to fight another human being in a ring'."

From that point Mr Hanvey was thrown into an intense training routine, completely out of his comfort zone.

"I had done absolutely zero boxing, nothing," he said.

"I had been in contact sport with rugby but in terms of actually facing someone, it's a different experience."

So Mr Hanvey headed to train on the Falls Road in West Belfast with Breen's Gym and was put through his paces five days a week.

Ian Hanvey and his father Trevor

"It was really good fun, I would highly recommend it," he added.

"You meet a whole host of new people. The training was on the Falls Road and everyone was so friendly when I arrived, they made you feel at home.

"Don't get me wrong though, it was really hard.

"There were 25 to 30 other people there and they put us through our paces."

Ian Hanvey with his parents and sisters

After weeks of preparation, the big day at the Devenish in Belfast dawned and hundreds turned up to see the clash in November.

"I was shocked at how many people were happy to come and watch me get hit," he said.

"I sold a lot of tickets and it made me wonder if I am very popular or very unpopular.

"I won on the night, the guy was a bit bigger than me. It was so much fun and the atmosphere was unbelievable.

"There were 500 people there and we entered the ring to music and there were ring girls and everything."

Ian Hanvey is victorious in the ring

Mr Hanvey added: "I have made friends for life from this and it was a great experience.

"I think people think of boxing as a brutal sport but it's not all like that."

Mr Hanvey's fundraising total is just over £500 with all proceeds going to Cancer Research.